More Than a Buzzword: State of Diversity in Colorado Law Event

An event on the state of diversity in Colorado law, held Tuesday at the Byron White U.S. Courthouse, explored past, present and future issues of diversity and inclusion within the law profession. Denver Bar Association president Franz Hardy moderated a panel of minority bar presidents who shared their experiences and challenges practicing and engaging their memberships.

Hardy began by asking Colorado Bar Association president Richard Gast for his perspective on diversity in law and his observations about whether it has improved over the course of his career.

Gast pointed out that the state attorney registration form asks about gender but no other diversity criteria. The CBA membership form asks about race and ethnicity, but Gast said some don’t provide answers for that information.

“There’s probably a good opportunity here for some sort of comprehensive statewide survey,” Gast said. Skip Gray III, board member for the Center for Legal Inclusiveness, noted that CLI conducted an extensive survey in 2007 and encouraged teamwork between CLI and the bar associations to gather new data.